Entering a classroom that clamps down on student creativity is like boarding an airplane that frowns upon wings. It’s reckless! Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to overcome lack of creativity in education and if you’d care to learn how, keep reading!
The Importance of Creativity in Modern Classrooms
One way to learn is to sit still for seven hours and write down everything you hear in a 50-page spiral notebook you’ll probably lose sometime next week. If that doesn’t sound like a good time to you, that’s probably because there are much better (and more fun) ways for students to engage with class material and actually learn it. Students—for whatever reason (probably tradition)—accept the fact that they need to sit in evenly distributed rows for hours on end to become the educated individual they will need to be in order to survive and advance. But, what if they refused?
One thing is certain: there is not a whole lot of creativity being put on display when students are being talked at except for perhaps some interesting designs in the margins of their notebooks. Some of the factors that scientifically compose creativity include originality, self-expression, risk taking and collaboration—none of which I see in traditional lecture-giving and note-taking classrooms. The reality, however, is this: we rely on creativity and creatively using technology to adapt in a world that is constantly changing. Picture the world in 10 or 15 years from now and imagine how much more rapid and complex changes will be occurring at that time. Kids need to learn real-world skills like creativity in order to be set up for a successful future and that does not happen unless they engaged and involved in their education every day.
Now, hopefully everyone understands the importance of allowing students to be creative and we can move on to ideas for how to get their creative juices flowing. One idea is possibility thinking—posing “what if?” questions to get students to come up with as many creative solutions for a problem or a question as possible. Or, provide them with opportunities to explore their individual interests since creativity booms when kids are using it to fuel something they truly enjoy doing. To really access the creative genes in students, reiterate that there are certain goals intended to be accomplished creatively and incorporate the ideals of self-discipline, openness, risk taking, tolerance for ambiguity and group trust into the collaborative (key word) process. Now, with these ideas applied, students will be able to learn material much more effectively, shed light on innovative ideas and, all at the same time, become more prepared for the future.
Technology Makes Learning Universal
What’s so great about learning in the 21st century? Well, for starters, there are so many passionate teachers that truly care about giving students the best education possible. There are countless innovative ways to teach children new concepts and there is technology to help each of those get accomplished. What’s the best part you might ask? Each of these components are able to come together and connect the modern learner with the modern world through creative and careful application in and out of the classroom.
Learning has become universal. EdTech has not only led to teachers and students being able to connect with anyone or anything, it’s also led to the development of real-world skills that will actually be put to use in the future. It’s applicable to all students in all countries at all grade levels. Teaching students particular skills—commonly referred to as STEM skills—greatly increase the chances that they will become familiar and comfortable with what is expected of them in the digital world once they are out of school. And there are so many routes you can take!
A recently published list from TeachThought explores a multitude of real-world learning options that will do more than just drive home concepts for kids. What they really need from their education, after all, is for it to prepare them for how to be successful in the modern world. Included in the list are ideas for getting kids to think longer and come up with innovative solutions, improve current methods and emphasize the importance of nuances in their learning. There are tons of resources for kids to take advantage of (including nature!) and each of them will go a long way in preparing them for life beyond school.
New Innovative Ideas for 2015-16
As the summer winds down, it’s time for everyone to (reluctantly) get back into the swing of going to school five days a week. Over the summer, however, new technology revolutions in the EdTech field have opened up new opportunities for both students and teachers who are heading back to school in just a few short weeks. Whether it’s the adoption of a new BYOD policy or installation of brand new Chromebooks, this school year surely has a wide range of innovative EdTech possibilities. Here are some of the top suggestions for 2015-16!
The power of EdTech coupled with the wisdom and expertise of teachers has the potential to transform 21st century education starting this year. Many schools and districts across the country have already adopted EdTech initiatives in recent years due to the overwhelming realization of its relevance both now and in the future, but if you’re still on the outside looking in, this piece contains some brilliant ideas for getting moving. One way to start is to limit the use of outdated textbooks and replace them with a more modern version—Open Educational Resources (OERs). OERs are great because they’re readily available online for anyone to use and contain endless amounts of high-quality material to really engage students. They also provide educators the opportunity to handpick the material they cover to cater to the needs of their classes and individual students in the best possible way.
If it’s a little too close to the start of the year to adopt a whole new learning model, consider another innovative alternative. One of the most important components of a modern education is student exposure to collaboration as it has crucial implications that will affect their future. There are plenty of useful tools that allow teachers to moderate real-time conversation in the classroom revolving around a given topic. Things like Google Docs also allow for collaboration as well as the ability for teachers to monitor who’s actually contributing to the group. Or, you can always get creative and come up with any STEM-related activity you can think of! Give it a try!
Intel Plans To Develop the Smartest Smart Phone
Have you ever been listening to music and found yourself wishing your iPhone knew which song you wanted to hear next? That would be pretty cool. And, according to some research being conducted by Intel, this kind of personally catering technology may not be too far off. The brains at Intel are reportedly working on developing RealSense, a technology meant to enable our gadgets to learn and understand us, which would enable it to more efficiently accomplish all we want to do.
How will they accomplish this amazing feat you might ask? Their intention is to have our personal devices learn how to mimic the humans that are constantly attached to them. Basically, Intel needs to team up with other tech giants, including Linux and Google (among others—in this case to 3D scan a room or provide mapping technology. This would give the phone the ability to measure depth and render objects, which even the developers admit is a tall task, but one they can see becoming mainstream as early as 2017.
The ways that people will be able to use this technology are still being worked out, but two of the current intentions surround use in virtual gaming and artificial intelligence. Tiny cameras could better track gamers' movements to create an optimal interactive gaming experience that is currently not available. RealSense not only has the capability to dramatically expand device use cases, but also has the ability to drive processing requirements, according to Intel. Apparently some other potential uses include a high-tech mirror that could let you virtually try on clothes and a vending machine you can use without touching it. Be careful—your devices might start getting to know you better than you know yourself. Now, that's a smart phone.
An Overview of 3D Printing Basics
We understand that diving into anything that’s brand new can be a daunting task, especially for teachers who have been conducting their classrooms in the same way for years. What we have also witnessed, however, is the power that exploring new technologies can have in changing education for the better. One of the latest and greatest EdTech tools—the 3D printer—has really made a splash in maker classrooms around the country and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast. For those teachers nervous about crafting their own creations with their curious students, here is some helpful guidance to inform you more about the process!
Basically, 3D printers work in a similar way as traditional printers, except instead of paper, they print out plastic and instead of two dimensions, their creations come out in 3D. This, as you might have guessed, allows students to print out anything they can imagine—whatever they need or want for school or for fun! Most of the time, plastic is used to 3D print objects, though other textures like nylon or rubber could potentially be used. As for the printed objects, they are created using computer programs to design them and assign specific dimensions that will work with the printer’s capabilities. To put it simply, users create computer files in the same way they’d prepare a Word doc and are then able to share the files with compatible 3D printers with common software, helping the creativity involved in the design phase come to life.
Once design ideas are in the computer, it’s time to start printing! It’s true that 3D printing some objects can take some time (hours or days), but it will be worth it to hold something that you created. Different printers work at different speeds, so it’s important to take that factor into consideration as well. Just remember, the longer it takes to print, the better quality your object likely is. As for cost, 3D printers usually run from anywhere between $300 and $3,000 with quality and capabilities increasing with every dollar spent. Thankfully, we have a variety of printers available, including some with academic discounts so that you can start printing this year!
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